Appearance: Pours a dark brown/black color with a short tan head and some lacing

Smell: Chocolate, and some strange booze scent

Taste: Chocolate up front, then some carob and toffee. The unusual boozy flavor shows up on the finish. Some dark fruits in there as well

Mouthfeel: Medium body, light carbonation

Overall: Not bad, but not as chocolatey as the name would imply. Also I don't notice much sweetness in spite of the lactose. For what would seem like a similar brew to Moo Hoo, I'm a bit disappointed. If the weird boozy flavor wasn't there, I would like this better in spite of the low amounts of chocolate. (619 characters)

Pours out from the 12oz bottle a very dark brown-black color. The head summited at about three-quarters of an inch, before heaving way to a thick tan cap. Not too much lace formed on the glass as I drank the beer down.

One can definitely pick up on the molasses and chocolate in the nose of this beer. Straightforward aromas that pique a drier and roastier curiosity. Hints of minerality, like hard water, and just a touch of lactic acid; but not much, leaving deserved reason as to why this is not a milk stout. Just a hint of dark fruit skins, or maybe a tannic relevance of them. Black cherry or blackberry comes to mind, but no real fruity essence showing up. Hops are low, hard-to-uncover, yet earthy. Malts have that roasty dark bread note, but still almost balances out without much barley grain coming through.

Rich with molasses-like dark sugar bitterness, like it's a little burnt. More grain comes out now, and it too has a nice roasted quality. It's almost enough to stave off the chocolate, which pops up as a melty dark chocolate note that's quite bitter, in and of itself. Further bitterness can be attributed to earthy, yet faintly citrusy, hops. These flavors make a lot of sense to me in this offering. Hints of tree bark, baked earth, toffee, and faint licorice have ways about themselves in the flavor profile. Lactose addition seems to be a bit of a stretch now, but there is an undeniable tanginess to the finish. It's small, but there. More so, I'm picking up on a sweet alcohol note that pulls some good strength on its back and makes this the warming winter seasonal that I think it is (at least, I don't see it on the shelves during the warmer months).

The mouthfeel is relatively thick, purging out a fluttering carbonation sense with body heft. What's irreplaceable, however, is a good sting of warming booze that shoves a little past your typical 7% ale. Again, I like it, because it's affirming. It's just that this wouldn't be best drunk outside on a warm day. Hard to think of an American Stout having those kind of characteristics, but this is knocking on the door of Imperial strength, or at least, so it seems.

All things considered, this makes for a very enjoyable beer, in its own right. Stocky, bitter, gooey, and full of warmth; Cocoa Loco is solid. They really should've upped the ante and threw in some chipotle peppers into the fermenter, but that's just like my opinion, man. Cheers! (2,430 characters)

O: Disappointing. ABV seems much higher, say 10%, it lacks balance, and roasted malts lack prominence, I suspect my rating will be noticably low, but I'm actually being a little geneorus, suspecting this may be a bad bottle; but then again, there's no reason it should be. (975 characters)

3.25 A: Black color. Two fingers of frothy light brown head. Retention is lacking, but a short ring of lacing is left.

4.0 S: This smells great! The chocolate and molasses mesh with the roasted barley to make something special. It integrates so well. The lactose then offers a little twang to the mix. The powerful, yet supple roast is balanced by malty sweetness with caramel and even a touch of dark fruits.

3.25 T: Unfortunately the nose is much deeper and better integrated than the taste. Still, it's good, just not great. Moderate to heavy roastiness enhances the hop bitteness. The sweetness doesn't quite balance it out. The chocolate, molasses, lactose combo seems out of balance with the roast. Somewhat of an ashy taste on finish. Herbal and citrusy hops.

3.25 M: Medium body. Good moderate carbonation. It's creamy, but in a not creamy way. It's hard to explain why I'm not a huge fan of this mouthfeel.

3.25 D: The nose got me interested, but unfortunately this beer falls just north of average. (1,041 characters)

Excellent beer, smooth and refreshing. Great head, excellent pour. Great taste, rich chocolate notes, not overly sweet. No aftertaste. Very cold mug insures solid taste for the whole bottle. My favorite brew with dinner, and my favorite hang out brew. All my buddies love the beer, and I love to give it as a gift to beer drinkers who want to try a New beer. (359 characters)

A solid, very creamy tan head sits on top of a dark brown brew containing ruddy highlights. It's thick and gives the impression of being opaque though it isn't. The head, almost reaching one finger, remains dense and doesn't fade beyond a foam thick enough to keep a solid blanket that doesn't dissipate further. Patchy lacing clings to the glass.The aroma is sweet and earthy, with a molasses note that seems very much like blackstrap more than anything. It gives off just a touch of something like black licorice. Everything translates pretty exactly to the flavor. Malt-forward for sure, the cocoa promised is evident, and it sits over roast, a light touch of smokiness, molasses and a smooth creamy note without overpowering them. There's some toffee and maybe a hint of dark fruits, something like chicory lurking underneath. All in all it melds well and makes for a nice profile.t first it seems it's not a particularly big stout, but it does end up having quite a bit of heft. The body is full and rich, with a good creamy bulk to it. It's fortunate that it doesn't sit to heavy, and I think a good balance is struck in the feel as well as in the other aspects. The combination of thickness and sweetness tends toward a sticky feel, but it's ultimately kept in check. (1,276 characters)

pours black, with thin off-white colored head that fades quickly. not a huge aroma, but increases a bit as it warms. a bit of sweet chocolate. taste is not roasty, but not sweet either. mild tastes of bitter cocao and burnt sugar. medium body - medium to higher carbonation. could be thicker.

overall - okay, but certainly doesn't live up to the "loco" chocolate level in my opinion. (408 characters)

12 oz. bottle, with a vague remnant of a bottled on date which I think reads Bottled 09/25/2012. I have had plenty of Arcadia beers in the past, but this has not been one of them. The second beer by Arcadia that I am reviewing here on BeerAdvocate.

S - Can definitely smell some cocoa. Dried dark fruits, and a bit of alcohol presence. Burnt brown sugar. Molasses. Vanilla extract. Smells pretty nice, but it could have more going on.

T - Cocoa. Brown sugar. Vanilla. Chocolate cake kind of taste. Tastes like desert in a bottle to me. Decent amount of carbonation, pretty well-balanced. A tasty stout, but there should probably be more going on considering what went into this one.

Overall, I'm impressed, and it is definitely a beer I'd drink again. The first stout I've tried from Arcadia, and a dangerously drinkable one at 7.00% abv. Arcadia does good things, and I should probably be picking up their stuff more often than I am. A solid stout.

Poured like a stout, thick and black with a nice khaki head that stayed for a minute or two. The scent is weak, a bit of malt, a bit of Graham cracker, even a bit of chocolate. The taste is nice, not overly flavorful, but nice. The chocolate and Graham cracker are there, nothing complex but nice. There's a touch of alcohol on the finish but I like it! This brew is nothing special but I'd certainly drink it again and enjoy it. (429 characters)

Picked this up at Buy-Rite in Jersey City recently, having never tried this before. I hadn't had a Stout since the weather changed and this looked like an interesting one to start off with. For some reason, this beer never clicked with me and although I can appreciate the boundary that this pushed, it felt a lot stronger than it was in actuality. This is certainly not one to be enjoyed quickly and even as it warmed up, there was something that didn't quite click with this.

The pour to this was dark - not quite black but a brown that was dark enough to block all the light, even around the edges. Not a lot of head and not as much lacing as I would liked to have seen. Espresso and booze filled up my pint glass as I gave this a whiff and they were joined by chocolate, molasses, some pumpernickel spice, and just a hint of lactose in the mouthfeel. This was a bit thinner than most other Stouts that I've had and the carbonation was present in taste, if not in sight. For some reason, the aftertaste did not do it for me as the roast bitterness was too astringent and the booze just wouldn't let go. If this was more along the lines of a Milk Stout and has some creaminess to it, maybe I could have warmed up to it.

Unfortunately, I never did no matter how much this warmed up. It felt a lot stronger than it actually was and the kind of chocolate that this emulated was not powdery enough to match the flavors and aroma. This was a different Stout but certainly not better and with so many coming onto the shelves this time of the year, there are plenty of better options to spend your money on. (1,605 characters)

Very very dark brown but with noticeable clarity as it pours, thin brown head. Chocolate, asphalt, coffee and faint dark fruit on the nose. As the beer airs out a bit, more chocolate comes through covering up the initial asphalt like smell.

Pretty nice stout. Smooth creamy body with a decent amount of carbonation. Mild chocolate and cocoa powder up front rolls into a bitter black chocolate and coffee taste with an underlying earthy bitterness. Faint chalky mouthfeel. Good balance. Faint alcohol heat and mild bitterness that builds on the back of the tongue. Not overly complex but has enough going on. Overall a pretty nice stout but should definitely come in 6 packs. Alcohol heat and astringency takes away from the beer slightly. (739 characters)

Tastes like it smells, with roasted grains, chocolate, cocoa powder, malt, nut, toffee, chicory, molasses, caramel, coffee grinds, charcoal, very light hops, and yeast or a penny aftertaste that’s bitter; pretty much all malt with some alcohol peeking through, but not in a bad way.

Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth, with mild carbonation, a thick chewy body and a sweet chocolate finish that’s bitter like a strong coffee. A slow sipper based on the weight.

A flavorful stout that is unbalanced and gets better as it warms, but it’s only above average due to the nice complex roasted malts and chocolate flavor that basically rule the taste. It was good and I enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t run out to buy it, yet I’d definitely have it again if I saw it at a bar. (1,184 characters)

Midnight black and opaque with complete absence of color when held to light. Light tan head with average retention but forms a film around to edge of the glass and adds some nice lacing after each sip.

Aroma is dark, primarily coffee, chocolate and charcoal. Alcohol has a sherry-like quality. I can smell some burnt molasses as well.

Solid malt character consisting of burnt toast and cooked corn. Roasted almonds and dark chocolate provide a satisfying bitterness. Molasses lies in the background and the lactose adds a sweet and somewhat tart character to the mix. Hops are subtle with earthy tones that compliment the roasted bitterness quite well.

Medium bodied with a syrupy, chocolately texture mid-drink that lingers into the finish but finishes with a tad more dryness from the hops. Low-medium carbonation but flavors are strong enough to assert themselves with the bubbles available. No sticky feel, a definite plus.

Overall a great stout and I like the creative additions to the recipe. They definitely spent some time with this perfecting the balance and the result is very tasty! (1,098 characters)

A: Pours dark,dark brown with a smallish, light brown head that dissipated somewhat quickly. Would've liked a little more head.

S: Nice chocolate and molasses tones, especially as the beer warmed up a little.

T: Well balanced with definite chocolate and roasted malt flavors. The molasses flavor was subtle, and considering the label says it was brewed with molasses, it would've nice to have this flavor to be a bit more overt. Overall, however, the flavor was very nice. The beer finishes slightly bitter with sweet malt overtones. Lovely.

M: Medium mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. I would have liked a bit more body, but for a beer of this style, it wasn't bad. Again, it improved as it warmed up (I probably had it too cold).

D: Very drinkable. Not the best stout I've had, but overall it was very enjoyable. I would definitely drink again! (853 characters)

Pours dark brown in color with a khaki head. Maybe a touch watery on the nose, but otherwise nice roast and chocolate aromas. A hint of coffee and some molasses for sweetness. The flavor isn’t bad, but similarly watery. Cocoa/chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt make up most of the substance. A slight sweetness of toffee and molasses, too. Not bad, but not great either. (373 characters)

This nice lady on the bottle art drew me to this brew. Poured into a Winking Lizard pilsner glass.

Appearance - Two fingers of luscious milkshake-esque head. The head is creamy like a milky rootbeer float. Appears very sweet. Delicious, cascading lacing. The beer is pitch black and completely opaque. Dark as night with brown hues at the surface.

Smell - Exceptionally strong cocoa in the aroma. The lactose is very apparent - the smell of chocolate milk hits hard. Heavily roasted chocolate that is sweet, rather than bitter.

Taste - A very, very impressive stout. A toothsome roasted waterfall coats the palate. Tastes of sweet milk chocolate. There is no bitterness in the taste, which is good for this beer. Honey, or molasses as the bottle states, slides over the tongue. A light alcohol burn throughout the taste that is not aggressive. A bit of dry cocoa that adds to the beers complexity.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability - Sweet and smooth throughout the taste. A bit dry on the finish. Medium-bodied and a pleasant, easily drinkable sipper. (1,049 characters)